Child Trends
In 2007, the second year in a row that the U.S. teen birth date increased after a 14-year decline, the birth rate for teens between ages 15 and 17 rose by less than 1 percent to 22.2 births per 1,000 females, while the birth rate for teens ages 18 to 19 increased at a slightly higher rate of 1 percent, to 73.9 births per 1,000, according to preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Most of the birth rate increases are attributable mainly to whites: Teen birth rates for whites increased by 2 percent, while teen birth rates for blacks increased by less than 1 percent, and Hispanic teen birth rates decreased by 2 percent. Eighty-six percent of the births to teens occurred outside of marriage.
Child Trends studies teen pregnancy and risky adolescent sexual behavior to help program providers develop strategies for preventing unintended pregnancies, nonmarital births and sexually transmitted diseases. Free. Five pages. http://www.childtrends.org.
